A Second Chance at Life
by Meladara
Summary: When it seems life has only despair loneliness left for her, Hermione finds hope in a book. His book. HG/DM Post Hogwarts, AU, Oneshot, Complete


_The characters and canon situations in the following story belong solely to JK Rowling, Scholastic and WB. I am not making any money from the publishing or writing of this story._

_xoxox  
><em>

Hermione ran a tired hand over her eyes as she walked into her dreary flat. After a long week at work and she was looking forward to a cozy weekend; starting with an quiet evening, a good book, and a glass of wine.

She was curled up on the couch she enjoying the wine induced haze that warmed her cheeks and dulled her pain when she heard the tap at the window. Looking up she saw an owl hovering outside the.

_What is it now._

The only owls she received anymore were from work. With a frustrated and defeated aire she extracted herself from the couch and padded across the room. Opening the window, she watched the owl glide over to the table.

_A package? Well, at least it isn't work._

_S_he glanced over at the stack of papers on her kitchen counter. They only sent urgently scrawled missives that of screamed urgency and once again drove home to her that her co-workers possessed an asinine inability to think for themselves.

She untied the package from the owl and then picked up the package, retreating back to the comfort of her couch and wine. As she held the package she was sure it was a book, she was Hermione Granger after all and if there was one thing she could identify by touch, it was a book.

xoxox

Why had he sent her his book? Seriously, it really didn't make sense. They hadn't even spoken for two whole years. Not to mention the volatile end to their relationship. She was truly surprised that he'd thought of her but most likely it was just a token gesture. Always one with plans and ideas, she had encouraged him often enough to write his story, so of course when he'd actually done it he'd sent her a copy. Right?

She turned the book over in her hand.

_Deatheater_

_By: Draco Malfoy_

It was a beautiful book; bound in fine black leather with silver runes covering the edge of the binding. In the front center of the cover was a green dark mark.

_Morsmordre_

A small shiver ran through her. That certainly was bold but Draco was nothing if not bold.

Cracking open the book with a relish only a true book lover could possess, she silently flipped through the opening pages. A small gasp left her as she found herself staring at the dedication:

_H- When all was lost to me, you were there. My guide. My heart. My life. This is for you._

The book slid from her hands, dropping to the floor with a dull thud as the tears came. It was for her.

xoxox

Prisoner to the book that fateful night, she read. The leather in her hand. Its weight on her lap. The words as they rolled through her mind. Curled on the couch she read and wept. A life line in her bleak reality, she supped on the divine essence the truth of the words fed to her soul.

He'd written the whole story, his parents story, their story. Although he'd preserved her anonymity, he'd left nothing out.

Piercing and sweet, she read with apprehension knowing what would come in the end. When it came, the bitter ending that told of her betrayal, she was surprised to find that instead of devastation she felt life stir within her. For the first time she allowed her soul to open to the feelings that had been locked away years before. Here in her hands she held their love, their loss. Here it was all laid bare before the world to all to see.

_Let them judge now!_

As her past sat before her in words that were so honest and sincere that they refused to be ignored, she wondered how she could have allowed herself to ever have been manipulated so easily. Smart and clever she might have been but also cowardly and scared. At the time she'd been proud that she could be loyal and true to her friends but at such a high cost. Unable to refuse the requests of her dearest friends she gave up everything that mattered and never realized the cost until it was to late.

_Foolish, naive girl!_

Of course, that wasn't true anymore. She knew a truth now, she didn't then. Never again would she be foolish or naïve. She was stronger now.

It had been the pleas of her friends that had caused the relationship to end. She believed what they had told her.

She could remember how they had plead with her at their ridiculous intervention:

_It is to dangerous to let the relationship continue. _

_Against all that is natural. _

_You'll be a target for people on both sides of the war._

_You'll never be able to have a career or social life while in a relationship with a former Deatheater, 'Mione. _

_We need you here with us more than he needs you._

No matter that she could have helped them from where ever she lived. No matter that Draco was on their side in the end. No matter that he was her life. Her heart.

Sensitive from the loss of both her parents, the stress from what she'd seen and experienced in the war was overwhelming. It had broken her. Emotionally she had no strength left. Through continuous pleas she found that she truly believed that her friends needed her more than he did and she could not deny them her support. That coupled with the constant taunts of the inherent danger involved in the relationship pushed her to far. Thus, she allowed them to manipulate her into leaving him, blindly she put her needs aside and broke off the relationship.

Draco had pleaded with her but she couldn't face losing everyone else in her world. He was but one, they were...well at the time she'd thought they were everything. Alas, they were not.

Committed to the self sacrifice she moved out of his flat and into a small flat in muggle London.

It had been an ugly break up, word were crossed and hearts were broken. Draco cut all ties with her immediately, feeling betrayed and lost. Clearly, she didn't love him as he loved her if she was able to put them before their relationship. Priorities were made clear, his trust was broken and she was gone.

When the cost of her decision came to bare she fell into a deep depression. She was sickened by the false concern of so her called friends. Concern, so misplaced, that they made her give up the one thing - the one man - she really needed. Finally she was able to see their actions for what there were, self-serving manipulations. Thinking only of themselves, their plan had both worked and backfired. She wouldn't go back to Draco. No it was too cruel to even consider after the pain she'd caused them both. However, neither would her friends have faithful their Hermione in their lives any longer. So strong was her mortification and anger she found she could no longer maintain even basic civility towards them. She promptly stopped returning their owls, warded her apartment against apparation and closed her floo. Hermione Granger was alone in the world she'd fought so hard to save. She found herself living a solitary, pathetic life, in a small dreary flat.

xoxox

Hermione stood in front of the display window at her favorite muggle bookstore stunned. A full sized cardboard cutout of a Deatheater staring back at her through the window. A burst of pride filled her heart, leave it to Draco to write a book that could be marketed to both the wizarding and muggle worlds. Her eyes involuntarily rolled as she thought of the amount of money he must of put into bribe to get them to look the other way when it came to the Statues of Secrecy.

It had only been a month since the release and it was already a best seller. Well, it was a great book and Draco, if anything, was a shrewd business man.

'_Hot New Fiction' _the display read.

If they only the knew that it was an autobiography! Her eyes studied the words on the sign:

_Come meet Mr. Malfoy, author of the new bestseller Deatheater. Saturday 2 pm._

Suddenly, she was sick to her stomach.

Draco! Her Draco was coming here... To sign books... At her favorite muggle book store...

Not just any book either. The book that he'd dedicated to her. The book that included their story.

Tomorrow!

Her breath quicken as panic set in; her heart raced and a blush spread over her cheeks. Quickly, she continued down the street not really knowing where her feet were taking her. She felt like a child caught peeking at the presents before Christmas. It wasn't like Draco was there right now.

"Get a grip, Granger," she muttered to herself.

xoxox

Hermione walked toward the bookstore sure that there had never been as nervous as she was today.

_See him, get the book signed, run. _

She was thankful that this was a muggle bookstore and not a wizard one. The scene it would have caused at Flourish & Blotts would have been a circus. The combination of their war hero statuses coupled with the fact that the whole wizarding world was privy to their story would not only been more than she could handle, it would have been front page news in the wizarding tabloids. For truly, if they were to see them together it wouldn't be that hard to guess who Draco had spoken of in the book, despite the name changes. However, this was different. In the muggle world and in a muggle bookstore they were just regular people. Her simply a fan wanting a book signed and him a famous, successful author. Simple rolls to play.

_See him, get the book signed, run._

If she wanted more out of the encounter she wouldn't admit it to herself. Even if deep down she knew otherwise.

_See him, get the book signed, run._

Her nerve addled mind repeated once more the feeble plan that had become her mantra as she opened pulled open the door.

_See him, get the book signed, run. _

Then... she froze.

Watching from the back of the crowd, a full 3 steps from the entrance was all she had managed to make before being forced into a full stop by her stunned and seriously overloaded brain.

How long had she been standing there she couldn't tell. She shook off the mental cloud in her mind as she watched him once again covertly scanned the room, their eyes meeting imperceptibly for a mere millisecond. It happened so quickly that she wasn't sure that it had really happened at all. With an ease and aire that was bred into every Malfoy he went on speaking to the woman before him and signed yet another book. She watched as he stood, spoke to the security agent standing his left briefly and then sat to continue signing books. A quick look at the clock told her that for an hour she'd been been standing the same spot unable to move. She was mortified.

She wondered if he was watching her as well. She had been there as he'd been introduced, watched as he gave a short speech, and then waited as the crowd ebbed and flowed through the bookshop. It was surprising how popular he was. Then again she mused, maybe not so surprising as he was a deliciously handsome man who oozed sex appeal.

"Miss..."

"Miss..."

"Granger!"

She jumped at hearing the harsh whispered tone in her ear. Hermione quickly pulled from her trance to see the security agent standing expectantly at her side.

Recognizing the face before, she said, "Blaise?"

"Fancy seeing you here," he said teasingly. She noted the knowing smirk and raised eyebrow that was a mark of all true Slytherins.

Once again his voice drawled in her ears, "So, are you going to go to him or just stand here and stare?"

"I... well... I got in the door," she stammered and she lamely looked to the door, still 3 paces away from her. "That was about all I could manage. Besides, I'm not sure that he would want to see me Blaise."

"Right, and I'm here because...?" he teased and then continued, Shall we fix your... ummm... mobility problem then?" With a chuckle and wolfish grin he offered her an arm and they made their way across the crowded room, past the book-signing table, and through a door that read _Employees Only_. If Draco saw them pass, Hermione couldn't tell. As they entered what appeared to be the employee break room he said, "He's only got about 5 minutes left, he wants you to wait for him here."

xoxox

Thirty minutes had passed and still she sat alone in the room hunch in an comfortable chair with his book in her lap. Nerves frayed and nausea permanently taking up residence she ran her hand over her face and through her hair for what felt like the thousandth time. It was starting to feel like a horrible joke.

He wasn't coming.

Of course he wasn't coming!

He just needed the crazy ex-girlfriend to stop ogling him so he'd sent in Blaise.

She groaned, once again feeling mortified.

Desperate she decided that if he didn't come through the door in the next 5 minutes she would leave.

She would apparate away.

To where she didn't care, as long as it was anywhere but here.

Suddenly, the door opened and in stepped Draco. Silently, Draco looked at the clearly frazzled woman staring back at him, she was frozen again.

"Hermione?" he said gently.

He watched her as gently ran her fingers along his name embossed in silver on her book, as if she was subconsciously assuring herself of the connection between him, the book and herself.

He entered the room and closed the door.

"Mia. You waited," he said with a small smile on his face.

"Did you like it?" His voice uncertain.

She nodded. She wanted to tell him what the book meant to her. Tell him how it had filled her soul and allowed her to feel alive again. The it had been her salvation, a priceless gift. But she had no voice. No words. Only eyes. So she used what she could and said it that only she way knew. Hugging the book to her chest she raised her cinnamon eyes to his steely grey. Moist with unshed tears she the intensity of her gaze spoke of her pain, her sorrow and her love.

Draco watched her eyes. There was something about them. Although neither of them were Legilimens her eyes could always speak right to his heart. As he watched them fill with tears and love, he felt the hope in him grow. It was then that he knew that although two painful years had passed their feelings had not changed.

Finally, she lowered her eyes as tear began to grace her cheeks. He heard her whisper, "I'm so sorry, Draco."

Then, the spell of the moment broken he rushed to her, fell to his knees, and looked up at her as she openly wept before him. This beautiful disheveled woman that he loved so dearly. Gently he hushed her in soothing tones, as he reached up and pulled her into his arms.

The book clattered to the floor.

Slowly, they sank down from their knees to sit on the floor of the muggle bookstore break room and wept. First, they wept to sooth the pain of the past years and heal their broken hearts. Then as the pain faded, no longer having anything to hold on to in their hearts, they wept and laughed at the joy of simply being in the arms of one they love. As the tears gave over to laughter and smiles Draco kissed the salty tears from her face.

Looking into his eyes Hermione asked in a voice raw with emotion,"I was a bloody idiot. Draco, can you ever forgive me?"

He rolled his eyes, "Hermione, I wrote you a whole book. What do you think?" Then becoming serious he whispered to her, "I forgave you long ago. We were both hurting, the whole wizarding world was. Over time I came to see that you didn't mean to hurt me, not truly. Damn Gryffindor nobility. Then after while I started to hear storied of how you'd cut everyone else in your life out. As depressed and as lost as I'm sure you were, it gave me hope in away. Hope that maybe you regretted the choice you made. That still you wanted me. So, I wrote."

xoxox

As they walked hand in hand out of the break room and across the book store Hermione nudged Draco in the side and with a smirk said, "You never signed my book!"

He pushed the door open and lead them outside into the afternoon sun, "Kind of hard to sign a book from across the room 'Mia," he teased, "What where you doing over there?"

Her cheeks colored and she looked down in embarrassment. "Not sure," she mumbled. "As soon as I saw you I couldn't move. So I just watched."

They walked in silence for a time before Draco quietly said, "You're wrong you know... about me not signing that book."

She looked at him confused.

"Here, let me show you," he said.

He took the book she held tucked under her arm and opened it to the dedication. "First, there is the dedication." He ran his fingers along the line of tender words. "The words are for you, love. For you. What hope I had I put into those words."

She watched as he then moved his hand lower on the page. As his hand ran over the blank space below the printed dedication he whispering a spell. "Second, I also included this. Just in case," he said with a trademark Malfoy smirk firmly planted on his face. Her eyes sparkled with interest.

Now below the dedication was a message in handwriting she recognized as his.

It read:

_Mia, my dearest girl. _

_So, long we've waited, in pain and despair, with only our foolishness to console ourselves. Please come back to me my love, my life. This world is nothing without you. I am nothing with you. Come back and marry me, please help me make this alright. _

_I love you. _

_Draco_


End file.
